The point of English is not to be able to communicate with the expats. That would be the reason to learn Thai, not because it's needed, but a personal goal to be able to communicate with the locals. The reason for learning English goes way beyond that. It's needed in order to better oneself in the world. English is the accepted 'international language'. It's the official language of ASEAN and the AEU. People who are native English speakers, like myself, do not NEED to learn other languages to progress. In that respect we are very lucky. It doesn't help when Cha cha cha tells students that Thai is more important and that one day the world will speak Thai!!

The point of English is not to be able to communicate with the expats. That would be the reason to learn Thai, not because it's needed, but a personal goal to be able to communicate with the locals. The reason for learning English goes way beyond that. It's needed in order to better oneself in the world. English is the accepted 'international language'. It's the official language of ASEAN and the AEU. People who are native English speakers, like myself, do not NEED to learn other languages to progress. In that respect we are very lucky. It doesn't help when Cha cha cha tells students that Thai is more important and that one day the world will speak Thai!!

Most members of this forum live in Thailand, many are also married to a Thai woman. Who speaks Thai?

Yes it’s very easy to criticise Thais in general, with their ability to speak English (or lack thereof), but I’m certain that it’s still a lot better than the % of English speakers who can speak Thai. When I first met my wife, she could hardly speak a word of English whereas she’s now fluent, whereas my Thai by comparison is appalling.

My missus/ex could speak some English when we met, and I think this sort of led to me not learning to speak Thai. Then she spent some time in my country, followed by two years in Scotland where she never met even one Thai person. Today she can read, write and speak English and if that weren't the case, her life right now would be a lot different to what it is.

Thanks to her command of the English language, she was able to land a good job even though she never had all the right qualifications. Yes, she got the job only because of her English skills; a job which has allowed her to earn a good wage; enough to buy a property, a car, and to visit several different countries.

Without English, she would never have been able to enjoy the sort of life she has now unless she married into money.

Now, if I were to learn Thai, I can't see how it could possibly have the same impact on my life. Beyond Thailand's borders, the Thai language is dead. I can speak a second language, but I have never had the opportunity to do so since the day I left my country back in 1995.

I'm sorry, but comparing people who can't speak English to people who can't speak Thai is simply absurd.

Learning Thai can add a touch of convenience for as long as I am in the country. Learning English, on the other hand, can alter the course of a Thai person's life completely, as it did with my missus/ex.

Don't try to impress me with your manner of dress cos a monkey himself is a monkey no less - cold fact

I'm sorry, but comparing people who can't speak English to people who can't speak Thai is simply absurd.

This has jack shit to do with the ability of expats to speak Thai. It is about the failings of the bloated and inefficient education system and the sense of entitlement that most students seem to have here - they simply don't care, which is pretty sad really when you compare Thailand to its ASEAN neighbours who are mostly way ahead of them.

Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S ThompsonGet out there: On The Road Asia

Low proficiency in the English language is only to be expected in Thailand.
Most Thais see no need to speak English or any other language. This is the case in numerous countries but Thailand is the extreme.

"Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right." Muhammad Ali

If you're wealthy you can always pay someone else to do everything for you.

I did have a good language experience at Tesco-Lotus today; I was holding 3 packages of meats and struggling to fill a 4th with ground pork when a lovely Thai woman came up to me, said, "Let me help.", took the bag from my hand and held it open while it filled it. I thanked her and offered to hold her bag so she could fill and she said, "Oh, there's no need, I'm a professional." Making a joke in a foreign language is most difficult.

I have told this story previously but it is worth repeating. I sat having lunch with 3 older gentlemen who are retired here. They were all irritated that so many Thai people who deal with the public speak such poor English. These gentlemen--two were Germans and one was Swedish did NOT expect Thai people to speak German or Swedish but did expect them to speak English for after all, they had had to learn English.

Turning university into actually university would help too, instead of a further extension of high school where little appears to be really different...maybe they should call it mathayom 7 & 8.

Thing is, buy the time they get to being freshers at uni, they have spent at least 13 years learning English in a classroom and can't even ask about what kind of weekend you had. Goodness knows what they are studying in high school but it isn't English comprehension and, by then, it's often too late to save a disproportionate % of them. I'm still largely convinced that high school is just some giant brainwashing machine for "the system."

Yes, teaching critical thinking and modern methodology is great at uni, but it is not really preparing them for a life in the real world (unless they go abroad) here in Thailand as they will enter the system and that is ruled by archaic ways like the patronage system that will tell them where their place is, not to speak above their station and do what they freaking told.

One can only hope that the tide of modernization that the kids have now will sweep away the past ways of doing things and the dinosaurs will be consigned to history. Where it might lead to is not set...but it won't be the same as now with any luck.

Last edited by Spitfire on Fri Jan 19, 2018 9:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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